"Now, for your trial you'll have to-"

Celestia was interrupted by a green haired teenager, he looked at her with annoyance clear in his eyes.

"Why must we listen to you, you're just a normal human, you shouldn't have any authority over us." He stated in irritation.

Celestia burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that she lay on Baal's shoulder, holding her aching stomach tightly. "Celestia?" He spoke on a questioning tone.

"You lot don't know anything do you?" Celestia asked mockingly, the duo gave her confused expression to which she gave a smug smile. "I bet you have already forgotten how me and Shou got here, did you not?"

The duo's eyes widened, they remembered them both riding on a flying staff. Though they were both so concentrated on obtaining the dungeon's power that that crucial information fully slipped off their minds.

"A magician, I've seen many of those types of people before. Nothing extraordinary." Dragul expressed.

"That's right, but do you know how many types of magicians are known to existence?"

Upon his confused look Celestia wore an insulting grin. Serves him right after how he treated the villagers a few day ago.

Sinbad looked at Baal for confirmation that they can't take this trial before Celestia's, Baal merely nodded his head. The indigo haired man sighed.

"Well, it's not my responsibility to give you that knowledge, as for this trial all you have to do is..." she trailed off.

The duo leaned forward tin anticipation to what she would say, even Baal and Shou were interested to what she has to say.

"Wait, I didn't think of one yet."

That's when all the listeners fell face-planted on the floor  in exasperation. "Really?" Shou muttered in annoyance.

"Any ideas Shou?" Celestia asked him with pleading eyes, if he was a second late in looking down, Shou wouldn't have missed the mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"Honestly, you're gonna be the death of me." The black haired magi grumbled, face-palming. He then looked like he was thinking hard before his eyes light up. He then, with the help of his staff hovered above the two who were rivals in conquering the dungeon. "You're first trial would be..."

Everyone held their breath at what the four-years-old was going to say. Albeit Celestia was having a hard time in holding her laughter in. Think about it, the two teen would do anything a four-years-old would ask of them. The thought alone was enough to send her into a fit of laughter.

You planned this from he start, haven't you?

A voice spoke calmly in her head, Celestia stiffened. She then turned to look at the source of the voice, the djinn, Baal.

Celestia narrowed her eyes, feeling a bit annoyed.

You know me too well for someone I just met.

She spoke confidently in his head, the same way he spoke to her. Telepathically.

I guess that'll be a mystery for you to one day uncover.

Celestia gave furrowed her brows, I hate mysteries.

Oh? Then it is too bad that your life is filled with them.

His comment rose innumerable questions in her brain, though, at the moment, she was more interested to see what Shou had to say.

"Your first trial will be to make either me or Celestia to laugh!"

Wait, what?

He could've asked them to do many other things, the possibilities were endless. And he just asked them to make her and him laugh.

That has to be a joke.

Disappointed?

Celestia fumed before locking eyes with the djinn.

Disappointed is an understatement. How could that brat ask them such a simple thing to do. There were a lot more fun other quests for him to ask, but he had to ask them to him and me laugh? He has to be kidding me.

She sighed in irritation, especially after hearing Baal's laughter in her head, though before she could process what was happening she was grabbed by the wrist by Shou who pulled her off Baal's shoulder and to the ground. She rolled her eyes at Shou while Dragul and Sinbad stepped closer.

"The time limit is thirty minutes," Shou chanted under his breath before an hourglass appeared out of a flash of light.

Dragul and Sinbad looked speechless, but nevertheless approached their first target.

Shou.

It wasn't so hard for them to make Shou laugh, not at all. In fact, with Dragul making a stupid face, the poor child started laughing intensely.

Dragul smiled in triumph which annoyed Sinbad. They then inched towards Celestia, who was frowning.

They made the stupidest faces, stuck their tongues out. You could imagine the humiliation the Commamder felt, but he had to in order to achieve his mission, to which he would stop at nothing to succeed.

But Celestia just looked at them indifferently.

She just was too upset to even see the funny faces they were making. She was busy glaring at Shou who raised a brow at her in a questioning way.

It seems he didn't get it yet. She didn't believe she even knew him, even if he was just a four-year old boy, he was supposed to ask them to do something crazy. Like fighting some of the many dragons that were around, anything that had some action, really. They had to work hard to pass their trial, it would be boring if all they had to do was make her and Shou laugh. She couldn't - won't - accept that.

She crossed her arms over her chest and scoffed at the two boys that were trying to make her laughed. Her ears blocked the silly things they were saying, her eyes stared too hard that the boys were forced to look away.

"Dang it, she's in a bad mood." She heard the faint whisper of Sinbad's.

Give them a chance, will you?

Celestia mentally sighed, she had no choice now that Shou chose this trial.

Only if there was someone who was fit enough to be a King.

Even though she didn't look at him, she knew that Baal was smirking at her.

Very well.

She wouldn't go back on her word. But that didn't mean she would make it easy for the boys either.

Oh, how she wanted a hole to appear for her to hide in. Two of the most annoying boys she had ever seen stood before her, wanting to make her laugh in order to pass the trial.

How stupid she was to think that Shou would choose a good trial. Of course he had to bring trouble to her. It was her fault, frankly, she shouldn't have trusted this to Shou. She should have chose an interesting trial herself.

"Time's up!" Baal's voice boomed. The four figures turned to see the hourglass to see that the djinn was right, all the sand was at the bottom part of the hourglass and was no longer flowing.

Sinbad's expression was grim, Dragul smirked. He was sure he won as he, at the very least, made Shou laugh. That had to get him somewhere, right?

Celestia smirked, "Now, let's start with the second trial, for no one got my approval yet." She spoke with assertiveness.

"What?"

"Are you deaf?" She asked the one who spoke, Dragul, as she place a hand on her hip. "This is a dungeon, you think everything's going to be easy? Don't think my trial is going to be as easy as the brat's!" She pointed to Shou who rolled his eyes.

Don't go too hard on them, they're just boys.

Celestia smirked, really now?

You do realize that you're speaking to an eight-year old girl, right?

But your not normal, you and your friend are magis, and you...

And me?

She asked with suspicion, what was that about her?

Maybe I'll tell you after you go easy on them.

She mentally sighed, of course he would take that chance to take advantage of the situation.

Fair enough, but on one condition.

What is that?

Don't bring up the fact that me or Shou are magis, I am a person who fancy her privacy, you see.

All right.

She felt relieved that neither Sinbad or Dragul notice that she was spacing out. Though Shou shot her a concerned look, she gave him a smile.

"The one who rides a dragon for at least two minutes without stopping shall pass my trial!" Celestia said with authority, her voice unwavering. "You have one hour to do so, the first one to ride a dragon for two minutes is the winner." Her staff appeared in her hands out of nowhere, surprising the two teenagers, glowing brightly.

Two dragons appeared, the same as the ones Celestia saw when she was wandering around the dungeon before.

"Your time starts now," she said before Shou's hourglass was reset by her magic, a bit bigger then before with more sand inside.

Sinbad and Dragul immediately ran towards the dragons, leaving Celestia to glare at Shou. "This is what we call a trial, brat!"

Shou crossed his arms behind his head, looking anywhere but at her, "Sorry that my trial was so boring, a certain blonde shouldn't have left me to choose a trial in a matter of seconds." He smirked before his eyes pierced Celestia's.

Red clashed blue.

This brat!

"Well, I guess I should be sorry. I didn't think it was too hard for you to choose an interesting trial quickly. Perhaps I overestimated you." She gave him a smug smile, to which he glared. Though he didn't say anything, just watching the two boys as they tried to ride the dragons.

Dragul had no luck in getting on top of one, Sinbad on the other hand stood on a dragon for no longer than two seconds, if not less.

This was obviously hopeless.

The black haired magi glanced at Celestia who was smirking, clearly proud with her impossible trial. He then looked at the hourglass, there was no doubt that the boys would lose. Riding a dragon for two minutes in just an hour was an insane task to begin with.

"They are going to lose." He said, his voice low.

Celestia blinked at him, "You think so?"

"There is no doubt about it, they barely got on a dragon, and had just stayed on it for just two seconds. And they need two minutes! Do you realize how heard your trial is?"

"But they came here for a goal, right?" Celestia spoke smoothly, Shou remained silent. The blonde magi sighed before continuing, "If their goal really does matter to them... then they should have the ability to guide people. They have to be fine King candidates, the djinn won't choose someone based only on their goals. I'm just making this clear to them. If they couldn't control a dragon for just two minutes, then how were they supposed to be fine king candidates? Kings who rule over hundreds, thousands, if not millions of people."

Shou stared at Celestia in awe for the first time in his life. She had a good point, and he respected how far she thought of her trial, not the one he chose.

Now he felt disappointed in himself for choosing such a trial.

"Besides, it's funny watching two boys trying to ride a dragon. Hilarious even. There's even a possibility they would both be crushed by the dragons they are trying to ride. I cannot wait to see how this is going to end."

Forget respecting this girl, she is nuts, certifiable!

After a while, without any luck for the boys, Celestia turned to see that there was only fifteen minutes left. Perchance Shou was right on this one, that this trial was too hard for the two boys who were taking it.

But she really thought that at least one of the two would be able to pull it off. She looked as Dragul jumped on a dragon, tried to balance himself but failed, thus falling. She watched as Sinbad stood on a dragon a bit more than thirty seconds, but also fell nonetheless.

After that it was Dragul who impressed her, having managed to ride a dragon for nearly a whole minute. Too bad that was half of the required time.

Four minutes were left, she watched the boys try their failed attempts. Perhaps her trial was too hard on he boys.

Three minutes.

She looked as Dragul and Sinbad jumped on the dragons. Sinbad was strong struggling leading his while Dragul looked like he was at least having a better time than the indigo haired boy.

Two minutes.

Sinbad had stated to get used to standing on top of the dragon while Dragul started struggling slightly.

There might still be some hope.

One minute.

Having a hard time in controlling the dragon, Dragul cursed as he clutched into the dragon's neck when he was about to fall.

On the other, Sinbad looked like he was having a hard time himself, a few second were left before he would make it. Dragul lost his grip on the dragon's neck and fell.

The indigo haired boy was startled when his dragon changed direction without a warning. Thus he lost his grip and was about to fall...

I take that back, perhaps there was no hope.

But then he did a back-flip startling the dragon, and demanding the dragon to continue his way smoothly. His presence got intense, the dragon apparently took notice of that and grew wary of Sinbad. Helping him to win the trial without further obstacles.

And he hit the two minute he was supposed to spend riding the dragon straight.

He passed.

When Celestia finally realized she stared at him longer than she was supposed to, she looked away. For a moment there she thought that neither of the two boys would pass her trial. Though, to her astonishment, Sinbad rode a dragon for two minutes straight.

Dragul had a higher chances of winning, that's what she though at the beginning. But now..

"You pass, Sinbad." She said nonchalantly, grinning at Baal as Sinbad beamed.

"I win!"

I'm waiting.

She glared at Baal who sighed.

Your soul is one of the oldest in history.

What? He has to be kidding with her.

Even if that was true, how could a djinn know that?

And her soul? Was he somehow able to identify a person's soul without the body? Nah, it was clearly impossible.

Upon seeing the surprised and confused look in her face, Baal got a troubled expression.

Howー

You will uncover the truth yourself. You're not far from it, you will actually reach it pretty quick if you would just stop lying to yourself.

Silence.

Celestia didn't blink when Shou waved his hands in front of her face. He thought that the female magi had lost it.

The thing was that she saw a silhouette of a woman flash. Her form was so familiar Celestia felt like an idiot for not knowing who that woman was. She had a weird object in her band that she sang into. She was on a big stage, with the large crowd whom stood before her going wild.

But that was it, that was all. She knew next to nothing about the shadow she saw. Just a woman singing to the crowd with a weird object that she had never seen before.

"Celestia!" A shout broke her chain of thoughts, she glanced at the source of the shout.

Shou.

Figures, his name came from shout, above all.

"What?" Celestia asked, annoyance obvious in her tone. She could've possibly figured something if he just left her to her own thoughts.

"Are you okay?" When she processed what he asked, a pang of guilt hit her at her last thought. She then patted Shou's head, who looked up curiously at the odd behavior of his fellow traveler.

"Just fine," she replied as she messed his hair, much to the disdain of the boy. Albeit he couldn't bring himself to say something rude, he was good with glaring at her. "We just have to wait for those two idiots to take the last part of the trial. The one that's left is Baal's. It's bound to be harder than your trial, and maybe even harder than my own. But I will be lying if I said I wasn't interested to see who will win."

Baal looked at the two who were willing to fight for him to choose them as a King. He seemed to think deeply about an issue before he raised his head. "Who will become king?"

"The one who will become king is me!" Sinbad and Dragul said in unison, surprising themselves.

They glared at each other, "I said first, don't interfere." Sinbad demanded.

"You're the one interfering, I'm here under imperial command. Back off commoner!"

As the two continued bickering, Celestia decided to block them out. She glanced at Baal.

What did you mean when you said I was lying to myself?

Do you wish to know?

Well of course.

It's a secret.

What?!

I said too much either way, I'm sure you will figure it by yourself.

You're annoying.

Only to you.

Celestia fumed, what was wrong with this stupid djinn?

"Hey! You're Baal, right?" Sinbad asked with a sword in his hands, "We'll settle this by ourselves, is that alright with you?"

It's your trial, you not letting them choose what to do on their own, right?

"Yes, do as you please."

Wait, what?

If they'll settle everything on heir own, then why not?

You lack the ability to have fun.

A soft chuckle was heard by Celestia in her head.